Signs in the Parks!

Summer is the perfect time to take a stroll through the park, have a family picnic or just enjoy the serenity of the beautiful parks our County has to offer. This summer, the CAReS Prevention Team is working with local parks throughout Cattaraugus County to promote awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding substance use disorder.

The Prevention Team has placed the first set of a series of informational yard signs in the parks. The Prevention Team has worked closely with the Mayors and leaders of the communities to get this project up and running. These signs were created by the Western Regional Addiction Resource Collaborative.

Prevention Specialist Lizzie Yates is putting up a sign at Gateway Park in Gowanda.                             

Parks that are participating in this initiative are located in Gowanda (Gateway Park, Hidi Park, Riverside Park, St Johns Park, Chang-Hu Park), Little Valley (Memorial Park, Center of Town, and By the County Building) and Salamanca (Youth Center, CCA, Erie St Playground, Highland St Playground, and the Pennsy Trail).

In effort to grow interest in this project, the Team plans to update the parks with new signs every few weeks throughout the summer with more messaging around substance use prevention, treatment and recovery. We hope the consistent updates and exposure will help to reduce the stigma around substance use disorder.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use disorder please reach out, help is available. Call the Council on ADDICTION RECOVERY Services at (716) 373-4303.

Sandra Brundage, City of Salamanca Youth Bureau Director/Grant Administration, and Erica Sebastian, Prevention Supervisor, putting up a sign on the Pennsy Trail at the Youth Center.  (Look for more photos from the day on our Facebook page CAReS Prevention @ Facebook).

By: Erica Sebastian, Prevention Specialist
CAReS